Archived Reviews: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Reviews Index
CABOWABO/BEYOND 2001
01-06-12
Ah, my old buddy and genuine rock god returns with his third post Van Halen effort. Sam the man's new record, shows as much lyrical and musical diversity as it shows typical one way to rock stadium anthems, particularly on 'Serious Juju' which has a dead mean bass and guitar part.
Hagar's vocals throughout this album are as what you would expect, magic! but what I enjoyed about this album is the vibe and crunchiness of the songs which all shine with the typical Hagar tounge n cheek lyrics we've all come to expect, but "Ten 12" also reminds me of Sam's Montrose days and his "Marching To Mars" album and features great bluesy riffs thrown in here and there on songs like 'The Real Deal' and the balladish 'Little Bit More', whilst the acoustic 'Tropic Of Capricorn' smells of Caribbean off shore winds and is a great catchy song with a great "Mas Tequila" kinda vibe.
'The Message' is a classic Hagar tune, I love his vocals and guitar riff on this track, it's on this tracks that the Voice Of America shines in all it's glory, a perfect single. 'Deeper Kind Of Love' is also great, how on Earth can you ignore a song like this? Sammy Hagar has probably one of the most distinctive voices in rock. It's scary how much this album rocks, try turning the volume up to max and feel your walls vibrating as your neighbours yell at you to turn the old boom box down as songs like 'Protection','Shaka Doobie (The Limit)', 'Let Sally Drive' and the headbanging Metallicaish '3 In The Middle' send gigantic shock vibrations across the rock world's nightclubs. And on a humourous note it's only Hagar who can get away with singing "Happy Birthday" to himself on the song "Ten 13" which is Hagars D.O.B and contnues the traditon of songs like 'Shag' and 'Mas Tequila'. Buy this album folks and listen to it at full volume and all will come crystal clear why Hagar felt he had to leave the ranks of Van Halen. Whilst VH have lost their creative energy and lost a huge amount of fans after the awful "3" album, Hagar has delivered three top notch solo records in one go. One hopes that the Roth reunion will ignite their creative sparks once again, but we all know that they're doing it for the money, where as Mr. Hagar is doing it simply for the love of the music, and it shows as "Ten 13" is a damn fine album that is well worth buying. Remember folks there's only one way to rock - and that's the Hagar way!! Recommended www.redrocker.com.
Gold Circle 2001
11 November 2001
As a solo artist and as the lead singer of the "Babys" and "Bad English", John Waite had a talent for power ballads and arena rock, occasionally touching on New Wave styled power-pop, as well. Waite had lots of hit songs including "Missing You", "Change", "Every Step Of The Way", The Babys' "Isn't It Time," and Bad English's "When I see You Smile". Despite of being a talented singer and song writer, Waite's last two albums ("Temple Bar" & "When You Were Mine") produced no hits, bringing Waite's career to a stand still.
On "Figure In A Landscape", John follows the same musical direction as he did on "Temple Bar". There are some great examples of high quality songwriting but "Figure In A Landscape" also has some fillers. In one way, the album is one step up for Waite because the musical background of the album is very strong. On the last 2 albums, John delivered a lot personal songs but less musical background. In "Figure In A Landscape", there are great guitar solos, lots of keyboard and piano work.
Opener "Keys To Your Heart" is an uptempo happy song that could easily placed on "When You Were Mine". Next track "Always Be Your Man" is a great pop ballad that reminds me Waite's "Bad English" days. Highlights of this album are; "Thinking 'Bout You" which shows Waite's new mature pop sound, "NYC Girl" that is very similar to "Downtown" (from John's "Temple Bar" album), "Godhead" which is an excellent uptempo track & the last track "Masterpiece Of Loneliness".
"Figure In A Landscape" is very similar to "Temple Bar" and "When You Were Mine". This album won't make Waite any more of a star either but it's always a pleasure to hear that voice.
www.johnwaite.com
AOR Heaven 2000
01-03-16
RUBY FAITH AND THE WAITING WORLD is/was a female fronted AOR band from USA that mostly played live and recorded some demos between 1983-93. They actually broke up about 7 years ago, but thanks to GEORG at AOR HEAVEN can we now hear a collection of their best ? songs.
Vocalist RUBY FAITH has got a great voice that reminds me of CHRISSY STEELE or DARBY MILLS (Headpins) and that mixed with their music that sounds like band´s such as "HEADPINS, PAT BENATAR & HEART (in the early 80s)" makes this a pretty good CD to listen to.
Best songs are "RAT TRAP TOWN" a superb uptempo song a-la PAT BENATAR with some great work by the other two full-members TOM DaPRATO (Guitars) & JAY AHL (Keyboards). I can also hear some influences from HEART & JOAN JETT in this AOR Rocker. "BEAUTIFUL BOY" is a good ballad with a catchy chorus "WILD CHILD" is a nice semi-ballad that sounds a lot like VIXEN. But I most also say that a couple of songs are not so good "CHAINS" is a pretty boring song that sounds like a poor version of HEADPINS/JOAN JETT and "HARD TIMES" isn´t much better. "CRY ALONE" is a superb semi ballad with a catchy chorus and "TIME FLIES" sounds like a bit rougher version of KIM WILDE, the English beauty who had many hits in the early 80s (Kids in America, Cambodia +) So if you´re into the above mentioned artists or if you like female fronted Melodic Hardrock find out more about them and listen to some songs at www.mp3.com/rubyfaith and email the band at: rubyfaith@hotmail.com You can Buy this CD at www.aorheaven.com (of course)
Mascot records 2004
Review by Martien Koolen, 
7 April 2004
This album is already three years old; it was recorded live in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Coliseo on 21st April 2001. Rick plays here with the English Rock Ensemble, which consists out of: Adam Wakeman (keyboards), Tony Fernandez (drums), Damian Wilson (vocals), Ant Glynne (guitars) and Lee Pomeroy (bass guitar).
This is truly a superb album, it really features Rick and the band at its best. Especially the guitar and the magnificent vocals of Damian Wilson make this album a must for all lovers of progressive rock music. According to me Rick made his best albums in the beginning of his career (Six Wives, King Arthur and Journey To The Centre.)just listen to the updated “medley” of “Journey To The Centre Of The Earth” and you know what I mean. “Buried Alive” is a song from “Return to the Centre of the Earth”(sung there by Ozzy Osbourne) and it really rocks heavy on this live album.
The two instrumental tracks “Jane Seymour” and “Catherine Parr” from “The Six Wives Of Henry 8” sound better than ever before and here Rick is at his best. The surprise track on this album is the Yes classic “Starship Trooper”(The Yes Album, 1971). The song actually begins as “Heart Of The Sunrise” and then evolves into a magisterial version with great keyboards and amazing guitar playing; a superb ending of an amazing album. A must for Wakeman lovers and keyboard lovers. Get it now!!!
www.rwcc.com
Mascot Records 2004
Review by Martien Koolen, 
6 April 2004
This album was originally released in 2002. On this album it is just Rick Wakeman on piano and The English Chamber Choir singing.
Six modern classical pieces for piano and choir are on this album and it is definitely not MY cup of tea. Although the songs show the unique compositional gift of Rick Wakeman, after one track I have had enough.... Rick's influences on this album are Bach, Haydn and Gershwin, so it is no pop or rock album but rather a classical relax cd.
Only for Rick Wakeman freaks, who would like to have all his albums. By the way, I hate choir songs, they remind me too much of church and religion...
www.rwcc.com
Mascot Records 2003
Review by Martien Koolen,
22 March 2004
Of course Rick Wakeman does not need any further introduction. Overall Rick performed on over 2000 sessions and played on more than 100 hits around the world, which established him with producers world wide as the most sought after keyboard player to have work with them. Of course he also played with the Strawbs and super progressive band Yes.
"Out There" has taken almost five years to complete. In 1998, the New English Rock Ensemble was reformed and for this album the following musicians were "asked". Tony Fernandez (drums), Ant Glynne (guitars), Lee Pomeroy (bass guitar) and last but not least on vocals Damian Wilson. The English Chamber Choir also participated in this project and so the line-up was complete. The understanding of all musicians and engineers in the making of this album has been crucial in the production of this recording. I can truly say that the production of this album is outstanding; "Out There" has a powerful sound, as I have not often heard before on Wakeman albums.
This really is a rock album again and that can almost mainly be credited to that powerful production, but most of all because of the amazing vocals of Damian Wilson. Just listen to that amazing opener, which clocks over 13 minutes, and you only want more. This is progressive rock music as it should be; great instrumental parts, classical themes, catchy and dramatic melodies and on top of that; outstanding vocals. I can truly recommend this album to Ayreon and Threshold fans; Wakeman finally sounds inspiring and exciting again. I am looking forward to the "Out There" DVD, which will be released soon.
www.rwcc.com
Brett WALKER: "Nevertheless" 7
1996
Review by Kimmo Toivonen, 
I had really high hopes for this album, as it has been called an AOR masterpiece. Can't say I totally agree. I'd say about half of songs are excellent AOR tunes, but the rest of them are little dull. The uptempo rockers, such as "Quicksand" and "More Than A Memory", are brilliant, but when Mr. Walker goes into the ballad mood I'll start to lose interest. I do like "No Fire Without You" and "Take Me Home" (very much like "Cuts Like A Knife"-era Bryan Adams) though.
Brett WALKER: "Lift Off" 6
MTM 2000
"Lift Off" was touted as a return to the sound of Walker's debut "Nevertheless", which was a good album, featuring a couple of real gems like the uptempo AOR tracks "Quicksand" and "More Than A Memory". However, uptempo AOR tracks can be scarcely found on "Lift Off". The overall mood of the album seems to be quite dark and introspective, and musically closer to Tom Petty than "Nevertheless".
Most of these songs fall into the category of "not bad", they pass your ears nicely, without distracting you too much. Thankfully there are a few standout tracks, like "Rain In My Heart", "It Looks A Lot Like Rain" and especially the Carl Dixon/B.W.- collaboration "Far Cry". They are all the kind of songs that I was hoping to find on this album, instead of the several "Petty-isms".
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
Steve WALSH: "Glossolalia" 4
Magna Carta 2000
Kansas-vocalist Steve Walsh has chosen to try a lot of different things on this solo album of his.
Full points for diversity and creativity... but not for other reasons.
Right from the start Walsh shows us that he is in touch with the current sounds with the aggressive title track. He manages to combine 90'ies metal with poetry reading-like vocals in it, and not to a very good effect. Next please!
"Serious Wreckage" is a weird balladic track with all sorts of progressive elements and a vocals that sound just too pretentious for my taste, not to mention a bit strained. That goes for the whole album actually. The "strained" bit that is.
"Heart Attack" sees Walsh going for a funky sound, a bit like Dan Reed Network on a bad day. "Kansas" (!) and "Nothing" are slower numbers, with the former being an epic one (nine minutes) and the latter a rather beautiful, short piece, almost like an lullaby. It's followed by another highlight, the furious, admittedly modern-sounding, yet rather appealing "Haunted Man". "Smacking The Clown" is another song of the "epic" kind, clocking over ten minutes. It's a progressive rocker with a lot of tempo changes and different parts. Quite interesting. The rest of the tracks are not, one heavy rocker, a musical type of a ballad and another more standard type of a ballad...
All in all, this is mostly just too weird for me. If you are into progressive rock or a die-hard Steve Walsh one, you might find this enjoyable, but otherwise... listen before you buy.
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
Magna Carta 2000
01-03-16
Twenty years after his first solo album "Schemer Dreamer" STEVE WALSH is now finally? back with another solo effort. This is an album that is even more progressive than his work with KANSAS and it's pretty far from the AOR stuff that he did with STREETS in the Mid-80's. "Glossolalia" needs a couple of spins on your CD Player to really sink in, like any good Prog CD.
Many credits to TRENT GARDNER (Magellan) as he produced and co-wrote seven of the ten tracks and You can't ignore the fact that some of the songs do sound a bit like his band MAGELLAN. It was actually mixed by Steve's old team mate from the STREETS days "Mike Slamer" (also ex.City Boys, now STEELHOUSE LANE) who also plays all electric guitars.
WALSH who has now left all his demons and addictions behind him since a couple of years (1998) has created an album that is filled with both confessions, reflections and impressions of his hard life. It might sound like this is a very dark and moody album but I wouldn't call it that as You can find songs like lovely semi-ballad "Rebecca" that is inspired by something so "simple" like the old "Alfred Hitchcock" movie with the same title. I would say that lot of the music on this CD, sounds like a more PROGRESSIVE version of PETER GABRIEL mixed with (of course) some influences from KANSAS.
Highlights are the opening and title track "Glossolalia" that begins with some heavy guitar riffs a-la MEGADETH! It actually scared the crap outta me the first time I heard it, as I thought the whole album would sound like this. But no worries... cuz it doesn't. The track "Kansas" about the way the White Men have mistreated the Native Americans, is a really beautiful *nine minute* long song. I really enjoy "Haunted Man" with some "Haunting" keyboards and a catchy chorus and the ten minute long Epic track "Smackin' The Clown" is outstanding. It's over all a good album, but I can't help thinkin that I miss some catchy hooks here and there. Check out some audio clips and find more info at: www.magnacarta.net
Leisure Records 2002
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
3 January 2003
Jamie Walters has come a long way from his first hit "How Do You Talk To An Angel" with The Heights way back in 1992 or thereabouts. After the short-lived TV series about the band he went on to become a major TV star in "Beverly Hills, 90120" and also a major solo artist with two albums before this one, his "comeback" after a few years of absence.
"Believed" sees Walters taking charge of his music more than ever, with him being the producer and the sole songwriter (except for one song co-written by Ian Spencer). That seems to be natural progression, as his first album featured only a couple of songs he had co-written, but already on the second album "Ride" Walters had a hand in writing most of the songs. While it's respectable that he did it all by himself, it also means that this album doesn't have that instant appeal of its' more commercial predecessors. On the other hand, Walters has done a fine job in updating his sound, and I could easily imagine some of these tracks getting serious amounts of airplay on those stations that keep playing The Calling and The Goo Goo Dolls to death. All it takes is a few radio programmers willing to look beyond the "pretty boy TV Star" stamp Walters might have.
My favourite tracks seem to be in the beginning and it the end of this album. The opening duo of "Evilyn" and "Just Like You" are good modern melodic rock tracks, and same goes for the last track "Superman", which gets my vote for the best track of the album. The tracks inbetween aren't too bad either, although some of them, like "Such A Drag" and "Sparkling Light" fail to leave a lasting impression.
After reading a couple of other reviews for this album I was ecxpecting a bit more, but still, it's good to have Walters back in the business of making music. And damn it, he still sounds like Torstein Flakne of Stage Dolls!
www.jamiewalters.com
www.leisurerecords.com
Traktor7 2003
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
13 November 2003
Ever wondered what the hell this thing called "Nu-Breed" is all about? "New Breed Of Melodic Rock" is the correctly spelled long term I guess, and ladies and gentlemen, one of the finest examples of the style is this album. "Permission To Build" is Rick Springfield's "Working Class Dog" with a punk attitude!
After the first time I played this I was quite floored - good song after another and no fillers in sight! Now after repeated spins my infatuation has cooled a bit, but it's still a very good album. I more or less like all the songs on it (okay, "Say It Again" doesn't do it for me), but while they're fun to listen to, some of them still would need that one final nail to the coffin, that final killer hook. When that hook is delivered, as in the frighteningly good opening trio of "So Lonely", "All I Want Is You", "Cheryl" and the hidden track "Wake Up" (I guess that's the title), the band is irresistable. I also like the "girl-trio" of "Maria Simeone", "Nicole" and "Laura", which really bring up the Rick Springfield comparisons...anyway, I thought Toto had a lot of songs named after girls, but they've got nothing on this band - four on one album must be some sort of a record!
It's quite hard to understand why this band isn't signed to a major label. Maybe it's the fact that their image isn't quite as colourful, punkish and outrageous than the blinks, charlottes and sums of this world. It's a shame, because when it comes to musicianship, singing and songwriting, Waltham are far superior to any of those current powerpop-meets-punk MTV darlings. And come album number two, the might just be unstoppable!
www.walthamtheband.com
Mascot Records 2001
01-08-03
Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel? Sure, at least if you believe in Jeff Pilson and his new "solo" album. Indeed, War and Peace started out as a full time project when Dokken split up back in 1989 and a bunch of members have come and gone over the years. Ricky Parent (Enuff Z´nuff), Vinnie Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath etc.), Russ Parish (Fight), Darren Householder (WASP etc.), Michael Diamond (Legs Diamond) are just some of all the musicians Pilson's been using.
We all know about the Dokken reunion in 1994 and Pilson decided to leave War and Peace (as a band) behind him, even if he did manage to play bass for Ronnie James Dio´s group inbetween. "Light at the end of the tunnel" is here; more of a solo project this time as Pilson handles all vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards with only James Kottak (Scorpions, Kingdom Come, Warrant, Montrose etc.) on drums.
You can also find guitarists such as John Norum, Reb Beach, Paul Gilbert, John Levin and Richie Kotzen here, even if they only help out with some solos. The CD opens with the horrible "What cost war" with a chorus and guitar riff a-la Pantera. It actually scared the crap outta me as I believed the whole album would be like this!? No need to worry though as the rest of the songmaterial is far from this brutal. "The night you walked away" is a nice flirt with nu-breed (pop) and old time hardrock, very melodic and nice indeed. "Wrong place wrong time" simply kicks ass with a catchy chorus and a wicked riff, even if the riff itself maybe sounds too much like Gene Simmons (Kiss) "Fits like a glove" song. "Playing God again" is one of the better "Dokken" songs I´ve heard since the reunion and "In the dead of the night" is another winner. The title track is actually one of the weaker tracks here and "Stay on my mind" is not that much to talk about either. Bottom line... some water, some wine and not what I would call a "perfect" album, even if the more than seven minutes long "Cast the stone" is a nice epic. www.mascotrecords.com
Z Records 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
3 April 2004
Jeff Pilson is at it again. Last year he teamed up with his former Dokken-colleague George Lynch and released the "Wicked Underground" under the Lynch/Pilson monicker, this time he has regrouped his old band War & Peace. I don't have any information about the personell here, but I suppose it's a similar affair to the previous W&P album a few years ago, with Jeff taking care of most instruments and vocals.
After the well-documented break-up of Dokken back in the late eighties, quite a few albums have been released by the members, and apart from the first Lynch Mob album and Don's solo, I don't have any of them in my collection anymore. The albums by the reformed band haven't exactly "rocked my world", with way too much filler and flirtations with the grunge sounds or whatever, and the solo projects have been even more disappointing or confusing. I mean...what the hell was that "Underground Moon" all about?
"The Walls Have Eyes" rates among the better post-eighties Dokken-related albums, but it's still a long way from being a classic. It might be more tolerable to the fans of the old band that the last actual Dokken album, which was a bit ballad-heavy. Had Pilson stayed in terms with Don & Co, some of these songs could've given that album the much-deserved kick. "Stranger In My Own Land" and "Desperate Hearts" are among the best Pilson-penned songs during the last fifteen years, and I can't help but toy with the idea of having all the best tracks of the last few Pilson/Dokken/Lynch albums on one album - that would be something else!
Back in the real world, we have this release to deal with...Jeff might be a better vocalist than ol' DD these days, and there's nothing to complain about the musicianship either. The two songs mentioned above and a couple of others aside, the songs could have used more hooks, now they merely pass one by. I mean, I just took off my headphones, and I can't remember a single thing about "No One Is Listening"...and I WAS listening to it not too long ago!
The European version includes a bonus track, a stylish version of "Walk Away", the Dokken ballad. It's only strings and Jeff's voice...quite dramatic and impressive.
www.jeffpilson.com
Indie 2002
28 June 2002
"You better watch out, cause I'm a War Machine" (KISS - Creatures Of The Night/1982). I'm not enterially sure of the connection here, or if there was any in the first place. Heck! Three of the band members wasn't even born when the record came out. One thing's for sure though, this Canadian 4-piece band is something to watch out for in the future.
Based in Toronto, Ontario (Go Mats Sundin Go!) and with a lineup of Joe DiTaranto (vocals/guitar), Mike Miolla (guitar), Andrea Zanini (bass) & Andrew Zenti (drums). Their musical style is a fun mixture of catchy melodies and aggressive, energetic rock. This demo was produced by Emerald Rain vocalist Murray Daigle (Now&Then/Frontiers). It could very well be the rebirth of old school metal, that we're talking about here.
Not that I believe it will ever be as big as 'back then'. However, if you miss the days when Metal Church kicked butt, Metallica still rocked, Bay Area ruled OK, and Dave had his 'darkest moment'. Then Warmachine is really something for you my friend. I'm completely gobsmacked by the lovely guitar melodies and the very melodic harmonies here. These lads are not only into the Bay Area Metal of the 80's. Other influences are Van Halen, Queen and Black Sabbath and you will be able to hear this in their music. Vocalist DiTaranto is not another Thrash shouter, but a real singer with an ok range. Obviously influenced by Hetfield/Mustaine but with a smoother (better) voice then above mentioned rockers. The music is also 'smoother' than the stuff Metallica did and I'm sure fans of both 80's Metal/Hardrock and 80's Thrash will enjoy this. The songs "Beginning Of The End, Forgotten Demise & Alone" are all winners in my book. In fact, former Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson will shortly collaborate (and maybe even produce?) with the band on their debut album. Thing's are lookin' great for Warmachine and expect them to sign with a Metal label any day now.
www.warmachineonline.com
Spinefarm 2002
02-02-19
Finland again huh? Indeed, Warmen is back with the second release 'Beyond Abilities'. It's actually the instrumental project of keyboard virtuoso Janne Warman (Children Of Bodom). However, it's not all instrumental, since five of the eleven tracks here are blessed with marvelous vocals by Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius) and Kimberly Goss (Sinergy).
This is melodic, progressive, neo-classical hardrock in the vein of Artension, Stratovarius, or Yngwie Malmsteen. Very technical, yet at the same time catchy rock with a simply possessed keyboard player. Other musicians involved in this project are: Mirka Rantanen - Drums (Tunnelvision), Sami Virtanen - Guitars (Joe Doakes) and Janne's brother Antti - Guitars (Wisard) etc.
To my big surprise you can find a great cover of HEART's old hit "Alone" here [yes, I know that I-Ten recorded it before they did]. Still, I must say that Kimberly Goss does it justice with a nice vocal performance. The keys are maybe even more upfront than on the original version, lovely! "Spark", like the title says, is a catchy little tune with Kotipelto (Stratovarius) as lead vocalist. Very much in the style of Strato and for sure a winner in my book. Same goes with "Singer's Choice"; both are co-written by Warman/Kotipelto. "Hidden" with Goss as lead vocalist again, is a melodic hardrock song straight from the 80's. As for the instrumental tracks, they are all very impressive! If you enjoy the work of Vitalij Kuprij (Artension) you're going to love this! Warman (and Kuprij for that matter) are for sure the 'new' breed of keyboard virtuosos. Jordan Rudess will have to come up with something even more impressive to stay ahead of the pack. Recommended indeed!
www.spinefarm.fi
www.warmen.net
Lion Music 2001
01-08-06
Jason Becker is one of the most exciting musicians that ever came out of the 80´s and without a doubt a big inspiration for many guitarists all over the world. His technique was far beyond his teen years when he started out in the hardrock band Cacaphony along side with Marty Friedman actually, later Megadeth´s string bender. Discovered by Mike Varney he would later record three solo albums and the album "A little ain´t enough" with ex.Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth, before his illness took control over his body.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a nerve disease that at first did not prevent him from touring with Roth, but it´s unfortunately an incurable (so far?) disease and things got only worse over the years. Today Becker can only communicate with the use of a computer scanner that read his eyes. "Warmth in the wilderness" is not your typical tribute album but a benefit album where all the musicians are performing for free. All royalties are going direct to the family of Jason Becker.
This is a 2-CD project with 31 tracks and over 156 minutes of music containing covers of music he did in the past, as well as a couple of originals dedicated to Becker. It´s an impressive lineup and some of all the musicians here are: Stormwind, Lars Eric Mattsson, Ron Keel, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson, Phantom Blue, Lance King, Mark Boals, Jeff Pilson, Ted Poley, Mattias IA Eklund, Mark Mangold, Kenny Aaronson, Marty Friedman, Paul Gilbert, Anders Johansson, Alex Masi, Robin MacAuley, Johnny Lima etc.
Some of the "highlights" would be Stormwind´s version of "A little ain´t enough", Torben Enevoldsen doing "Altitudes", The Cosmosquad featuring Jeff Kollman, Vinnie Moore, Chris Poland, Jeff Watson and Steve Morse doing "A jam for Jason", an original composing. "Dogtown shuffle" are here performed by Rolf Munke´s Empire including the superb vocalist Lance King. Mark Boals (Yngwie vocalist) and Lars Eric Mattsson do a mean "Hammerhead shark", Jeff Scheetz plays an cool instrumental version of "Sensible shoes". Jeff Pilson (Dokken) handles "Becker´s bolero", Marty Fieldman smokes with "Black stallion jam", and Paul "Mr.Big" Gilbert is "Hawking". Not to forget "Tell the truth" which here features the excellent (female) vocalist Pamme of the band Haven, Robin McAuley (MSG) Johnny Lima, Alex Masi and Lars Eric Mattsson. Bottomline, this is of course a must have for fans of Becker, instrumental and "normal" rock, as 11 out of the 31 tracks features vocals. Best of all? ... your money will be used for something good this time !!! and a Vol. 2 is in the works.www.lionmusic.com [Note from Bandi: If you only have money for one CD to buy, let it be this one. I don't think I need to explain why...]
Lion Music 2002
Review by
Satu Reunanen, 
25 january 2003
Of all the people I get to review a guitar oriented album ! As I really can’t recall all those guitar terms I’m not reviewing this album on that level, so bear that in mind. Those who don’t know who Jason Becker is, here’s the deal; Jason has been playing guitar since he was a kid and has been involved with a lot of great musicians, playing on their albums and touring with them. You can hear him for instance on albums like David Lee Roth: A Little Ain’t Enough, Howe II: High Gear and Marty Friedman: Dragon’s Kiss. He also produced Richie Kotzen’s debut album, another guitarist worth checking out. Jason has always made inspiring and touching music, despite of the fact that he was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 1989. But he kept going and it’s no wonder so many people wanted to contribute on these albums, Jason is an inspiration to many with his playing and just being the person that he is. Just go to his homepage and you will be inspired too !
I haven’t heard the first volume of this tribute, but this second volume features a lot of interesting artists like Tommy Denander, Lars Eric Mattsson, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Randy Coven, guys from TNT and so forth. This isn’t your average tribute, as these songs aren’t just songs from Jason himself, but also songs from the featured artists. And you might think this only included instrumental music, but no. Already the opening song performed by Tommy Denander & Friends; “Desert Island” (written by M.Friedman) has vocals and is a great rock song with kind of a Thin Lizzy feeling in it. The rest of the songs with vocals are: Marty Friedman & Melle Vasquez; “The Brightest Star Of All”, a Friedman-style relaxing song, Keith LuBrant & Bernie Lambert; “Party Favors” (written by Al & Greg Howe), a jamming song with a simple sound and Edge Of Time (with Chris Heaven, Michael Von Knorring, Tracy G, Mats Olausson, Stefano Malacarne, Gonzo); “Lady Luck” (written by David Lee Roth/Craig Goldy), another great rock track.
Now about the instrumentals. As there aren’t many songs with vocals and these two cd’s last together about two hours, these might get tough to listen to at once. That’s what happened to me. Not that the songs are boring, nope, they’re all small diamonds, but these kinds of cd’s only work best for those who are musicians themselves or otherwise into instrumentals. Or you can always take small doses at a time and admire the work of all these musicians. There’s songs for almost everyone, you just have to find them among all these 27 tracks ! There’s beautiful slow moments and those shredding guitars, some blues and classical influences, just what Jason has always brought out in his music. He’s a very experimenting guitarist and the musicians here are doing a great job with his songs and their own. The songs written by Jason that are included here are; “Temple Of The Absurd”, “Perpetual Burn”, “Serrana”, “Images”, “Angel Eyes”, “The End Of The Beginning” and together with Marty Friedman; “Speed Metal Symphony” and “Jewel”. A good song selection in my opinion and better artists than what we have seen on many tributes for the past few years. It’s only a matter of that certain mood you will need when giving a spin to these cd’s. Take that two hours and listen carefully, you will be served a feast of notes, life and music.
Allusion Records 2000
01-04-15
Instrumental guitar rock can sometimes be really boring but these guys have done a really good Rock/Funk/Prog/Fusion album filled with lovely licks & tricks moves & grooves and power chords from Mainman/Guitarist "Ryan Maza".
The other two members and fellow Americans from Tucson/Arizona are "Mike Martinez (Bass) & Jim Pavett (Drums) and they have a really tight and steady rhythm section goin on. In fact... what´s a guitar album without a tight R-Section?
RYAN MAZA may not be a well known name yet... but believe me he will be! Cuz this is a great guitarist in the same kind of style as Gary Hoey, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. This CD was released on 1/21/00 in association with Guitar Nine Records and in celebration of the release, WARP 3 performed a concert with Gary Hoey at The Rock in Tucson! It was a big success. Opening track "Ass kick" really does kick ass! It´s a groovy Rock/fusion song that sounds a lot like Joe Satriani but don´t get me wrong... he´s not a real copy-cat! No, MAZA got a style of his own but you can also hear what his influences are. It´s always difficult to review an instrumental album but "Driven" is a wonderful song with some lovely melodies and every song is really nice to listen to! This is a must have CD for all fans of guitar rock so check WARP 3 out at their site and Buy the CD at: www.warp3music.com. You can also listen to one song at our "radio".
Downboys Records 2001
11 Sep 2001
Few bands from the '80s hard rock scene became as successful as Warrant. From power ballads such as 'Heaven', 'Sometimes She Cries' to party anthems like 'Cherry Pie', Down Boys' and 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', Warrant defined the pop-metal genre.
Warrant's latest album 'Under The Influence' is a kick-ass selection of old school rock tunes from some of Warrant's favorite bands. The record also includes two new Warrant tunes to hold the fans over until their next studio album. Opener 'Hair Of The Dog' is great cover of Nazareth's song. This song was previously covered by Britny Fox and Guns 'N Roses. This version is as good as Britny Fox's. Next song 'Surrender' is also a great Cheap Trick tune. There are 9 cover tunes on this album. Some well-covered tracks include Michael Monroe's 'Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N Roll', Queen's 'Tie Your Mother Down' and David Bowie's 'Suffergent City'. More average versions include Badfinger's 'Come And Get It', Aerosmith's 'Toys In The Attic'.
Two new tracks are 'Face' and 'Sub Human'. 'Face' is a power-ballad which reminds me the old days of Warrant. 'Sub Human' is a catchy song with some grungy rhythm. Overall, 'Under The Influence' is a great covers album. Song selection is nearly perfect except for AC/DC's 'Down Payment Blues' which doesn't suit here. If you're a fan of cover tunes like me, you'll probably love this album. Remember, it's Warrant that played the covers :)
PS: 'Face', 'Dead Jail Or Rock 'N Roll' and 'Suffergent City' will be featured on our AOR-E radio. Plus, my all time fave. Warrant cover 'We'll Rock You' (which is not on this album) will be featured on our radio.
www.warrantweb.net
Sanctuary 2003
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallström,
4 October 2003
Talk about a complete 180 and change of pace by the former Almighty vocalist. Ricky Warwick a Norther Ireland native and ex-husband to a certain Vanessa Warwick (well, I did watch a lot of headbanger's ball back then), returns with the very laid-back solo album: "Tattoos & Alibis".
He's been the opening act for Def Leppard lately and I believe they're still on tour while I'm writing this. In fact, Joe Elliott (Def Lep singer) a good friend for years, helps out with both co-writing songs, background vocals/guitars, and producing the whole she-bang. This is far from the punky-sleaze rock of early Almighty or the heavier stuff they did in later days. You could say that he's done a "Mike Tramp" CD as the ex-White Lion vocalist play similar music on his solo albums.
"I learned how to play guitar from my dad's Johnny Cash records and an Eagles songbook," Warwick says, and also mention Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Tom Petty, Steve Earle as major influences!!!??? You're completely gobsmacked by the statement and you can't help feeling like he's pulled a boo-boo here. It's almost like the old saying "when the devil gets old... etc." The music is however top-class performance with lots of acoustic guitar-driven rock. The singing is better than ever and the style of Elliott's songwriting is all over some of the tracks. It's matured rock and much to my suprise it actually works most of the time. I must admit that "Tattoos & Alibis" gets a bit boring every once in a while though, especially when the folk-rock influences kick in (Ending Is Better Than Mendine, etc). Notable special guests include Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy, 21 Guns) and Hothouse Flowers bass guitarist/mandolinist Peter O'Toole. The latter and his darn mandolin/banjo is mainly the reason to why it gets 'folky' on a couple of tracks. "Can't Live With Maybe" is very much Springsteen/ Mellencamp rock (check out the guitar work) with a touch of Def Lep. "The Genuine Fool" is like any of those Def Lep ballads lately (with lots of acoustic guitars) and "It Always Rain On Sunday" is Tom Petty inspired with a marvelous chorus too (and some cool slide-guitar). I can recall that Mike Tramp's "Recovering The Wasted Years" was an overall favorite here at RockUnited last year. This is however not quite as good, but works fine as a substitute. You will probably not enjoy this if you're only into "party metal" and s-s-s-screaming guitars though. PS. "Tattoos & Alibis" has already been released in Japan, but this Euro-version comes with two bonus tracks.
Sanctuary
Snapper 2000
01-03-16
OK, who came up with the *brilliant* idea to release another live album with W.A.S.P.??? Man, not only does BLACKIE "I eat Raw meat" LAWLESS breathe fire and drool blood like GENE SIMMONS! It seems like his Record Company? Hunger for money are pretty much the same. W.A.S.P. has now released two (2) live albums and a compilation in just a couple of years' time (like KISS) and my questions is: Do We really need another live album??? The answer: Of course NOT!!!
This is a CD that only a really Die-Hard Fan/Collector could enjoy as the rest of us already have the great double live CD "Double Live Assassins" that came out a couple of years ago. Well... OK... You get 3 songs from the last studio album "Helldorado" that can't be found on "Assassins" but still... this is nothing more than a "Sell Out". The Sting was recorded April 22nd at the Key Club (Los Angeles) and it might be fun to have if you actually were in the audience that night.
The production could have been a lot better too! Now it might sound like I hate WASP and their music ... Not at all ... but I do hate this kinda rip off! But if you wanna spend some money on another boring live CD ... go a head man ...I won't stop ya.
Snapper 2000
01-04-15
Raw meat, a circular saw blade between the legs, blood, fireworks, and a superb debut album! A guitarist with a nickname like that hairy monster from Star Wars "Chewbacca" but most of all WASP is the brain child of BLACKIE LAWLESS!
BLACKIE started his career in NEW YORK DOLLS in the mid-70´s he only spent a couple of months in the band before they broke up. He had later the band SISTER that became WASP in 1982 and with some help from his old friend ACE FREHLEY (Ace produced some great demos) WASP got signed to Capitol Records in 1983! Just when KISS decided to lose their make up image.
Who can forget the debut single "Animal (fuck like a beast)"? It got banned all over the world and WASP became the hottest band in the world very fast for all the Heavy metal hungry kids. The song is of course on this best of CD and it rocks pretty good still in these days. The debut album (1984) is the best album that they´ve ever done and songs like "I wanna be somebody, Love machine & On your knees" are all great metal anthems. But I really miss the great ballad "Sleeping in the fire"; strange that it's not included here. "Blind in Texas" from the second album "The Last command" is a great rocker and "Wild Child" is my favorite WASP song. And this is overall a good collection with "almost" their best stuff and "Saturday night´s alright for fighting" is a pretty cool "new" song. In fact all you REALLY need with WASP is their debut album and a best of.
Noise/Sanctuary 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
10 April 2004
Twenty years down the road and Blackie Lawless is still trying to shock the world with his outrageous image and loud music. Old Blackie won't scare that many parents anymore though as many of them are nowadays his most loyal fans I guess? "The Neon God" is once again a concept project ala "The Crimson Idol", where good vs evil now becomes the main focus and attention. It's a really awful story about this abused kid, that later turns into a cult leader and dark messiah of the 21st century. This is a 2-CD project where "Part:1 - The Rise" is released late April and "Part:2 - The Fall", is supposed to see the light of day during June - 2004.
I honestly believe that most of WASP's releases have been very average or worse lately. It's been difficult to live up to their reputation from the debut album and indeed, even "The Headless Children" or "Crimson Idol". This is one huge step in the right direction again as it surely couldn't get much worse than the previous 3 or 4 albums. Don't expect to find anything remarkable new or any major surprises as Blackie continues to write songs in his "typical" forumla, which he's been using for the last 15 years or so.
You can however compare "The Neon God" to "Crimson Idol" in many aspects. The trademark and whole atmosphere of that very album is indeed present. The same emotional aspects can be found here and the story really goes up and down like a rollercoaster ride. "Sister Sadie" (And The Black Habits) is a twisted little story about this nun, who's supposed to help our main character, but of course it only turns out for the worse. It's basicially a more than 7 minutes long epic song in the already mentioned "Idol" tradition. "Why Am I Nothing" is a heartfelt intro to "Asylum #9", which on the other hand is a rather average uptempo rocker. "The Red Room Of The Rising Sun" sounds like something taken out of the flower power era. And that's exactly what it is as the story here takes place in Frisco during the hippie days. WASP goes late 60's somehow? Nice though. "What I'll Ever Find" is the ballad of the album and it's a marvelous little tune really. The lyrics goes straight to the heart and it's one of Blackie's finest ballad moments ever. The closing chapter of part: 1, "The Raging Storm", is another fine epic tune. Much better than I expected and the whole concept works nicely too. Keep in mind that you need to spin this several times before it kicks in though. Sadly? You won't find any new "I Wanna Be Somebody" or "Wild Child" here, but I'm overall quite pleased.
Jeff WATSON: "Around The Sun" ***
Frontiers/Now & Then Records 2000
First of the fruits of Frontiers' "Nightranger member signing" fever.
Kelly Keagy's album will follow...and we'll see if they can lure more
of them to the label too!
Mr. Watson has taken a clear break from his dayjob in Nightranger with
this album, originally recorded smoe eight years ago. Some of the melodies
do have a bit of a "nightrangerish" feel, but mostly this is something
different. The mood of the album reminds me of the lighter tracks of
Dokken's notorious comeback album "Dysfunctional", very laid back and
should I say introspective...
I've listened to this album several times, and I can't really remember
some of the songs. They just seem to float around, not making that much
of an impression, but not disturbing either. That's just some of the
songs though, inbetween them there are a few gems that make this album
worth checking out. "Anna Waits" is the first of them, a beautiful ballad.
It it followed by a good melodic rocker "Tight Rope", sung by Steve
Walsh of Kansas. "Leslie Ann" is a Nelson-like semi-acoustic pop rock
track, vocals provided by Jeff himself (Walsh sings four of the tracks,
Aaron Hagar two and Jeff the rest of them). Also worth mentioning are
"Shadows Of Winter", "Ghost Town", both balladic tracks a bit in the
vein of Richie Sambora's solo material, and "When My Ship Comes In",
the bonustrack on this Euro release.
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
Luminosity 1998
Review by Kimmo Toivonen,
The first song "Way Down" comes blasting thorough the speakers and I'm thinking "R.E.M.?". The vocals of Dan Kapko sound quite a bit like those of Michael Stipe, and the songs aren't million miles away from those of R.E.M..Not that they're too close either, somewhere between the current crop of guitar-driven rock bands (Matchbox 20, The Foo Fighters etc.) and "Automatic For The People"-era R.E.M., with a bit of Bad Religion thrown in for that slightly punky flavour.
The highlights for me were "Jimmy Walker", "Fine Young Man" and "Sweethearts Of The Radio", rather pleasant pop rock songs each and all. The rest of the tunes aren't too bad either, so if you enjoy the bands mentioned above you might be pleasantly suprised with "Flash!".